The following relates generally to a fluid system and to a method of operation or use of a fluid system. More specifically, the following relates to a fluid system and to a method of operation or use of a fluid system in an automated instrument or other machine.
These days, some medical tests are performed by machines. Sometimes, during performance of a medical test, such machines add a liquid to a sample, such as blood and the like, contained within a tube of sorts. To add the liquid to the tube and the sample, a liquid nozzle may be used. There may be many such nozzles in a given machine.
Places at which the liquid nozzle is located on the machine may be relatively difficult to reach and to clean. Thus, in one way of cleaning the nozzle, a cleaning liquid is moved through the nozzle into an empty tube. However, this method of cleaning may require interrupting performance of medical tests. Specifically, instead of adding a liquid to a sample, time must be spent to move the cleaning liquid through the nozzle and into the tube. Also, because the tube may be used only for cleaning, moving the cleaning liquid into a tube may increase the number of tubes used by the machine. This can increase the amount of waste, i.e. tubes used for cleaning and not for medical tests, generated by the machine. Furthermore, it may be possible that an amount of cleaning fluid used may spill out of the tube. If such a spill occurs, the machine may require substantial maintenance to clean up the spill. In any case, by cleaning the nozzle in this way, time which could have been spent performing medical tests is spent cleaning the nozzle.
Similar things can happen when a fluid system, which supplies fluids to the nozzle and possibly other portions of the machine, is "primed," such as to remove bubbles from the fluid system.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an improved fluid system and a method of operating or using the fluid system.